Sant Magí Festival: 'Castells' Success in Tarragona with Extra Gamma and Historic Record

The city's four 'colles' shone during a hot festival day, with Jove de Tarragona completing 'gamma extra' towers and Sant Pere i Sant Pau and Xiquets del Serrallo achieving their best historical perf…

Generic image of a casteller performance in Tarragona during hot weather.
IA

Generic image of a casteller performance in Tarragona during hot weather.

Heat was the main protagonist at Plaça de les Cols during the Sant Magí 'casteller' festival, where Tarragona's four 'colles' displayed a high level. Jove de Tarragona excelled with 'gamma extra' towers, while Sant Pere i Sant Pau and Xiquets del Serrallo achieved their best historical performances.

Jove de Tarragona successfully completed two 'gamma extra' towers: the 2 de 9 amb folre i manilles and the 5 de 9 amb folre, in addition to the 3 de 9 amb folre. They began with the 2 de 9 amb folre i manilles, showcasing their mastery of this structure. After a dismantled attempt of the 5 de 9 amb folre, they managed to complete it, thrilling the crowd. They finished their performance with the 3 de 9 amb folre and a 6-person 'espadat', marking their best performance of the season.
Xiquets de Tarragona completed the 7 de 8 with relative ease, although the structure of the four-person tower was slightly open. They discharged a hard-fought 4 de 9 amb folre, facing challenges in the upper levels. An attempt at the 3 de 9 amb folre was dismantled, and they ultimately opted for the 3 de 8.
The Colla Castellera de Sant Pere i Sant Pau achieved its best historical festival performance. They started with the 5 de 8, tightly held, followed by the 4 de 8 amb agulla, repeating Saturday's feat. They concluded with a picture-perfect 3 de 8.
The Xiquets del Serrallo also made history. They opened the festival with the 4 de 8, completing it thirty years after its first attempt. They subsequently discharged the 3 de 8, despite showing more nervousness, and finished with a 2 de 7, achieving the best performance of their history.
The festival, which lasted approximately three hours and twenty minutes at Plaça de les Cols, was marked by intense heat. The audience gradually thinned as the event progressed, with attendees using fans, water, and ice packs to combat the high temperatures. According to data from the URV's Chair for the Study of the 'Fet Casteller', the maximum temperature recorded at midday was 33.2ºC with 60.9% humidity.